GOP Blocks Obama's Effort To End Tax Breaks For Big Oil

President Obama on Thursday called on Congress to end tax breaks for oil companies in a populist speech that sought to turn the blame for gas
prices nearing $4 a gallon back onto his Republican critics.

In fiery, campaign-style remarks delivered from the Rose Garden, Obama told lawmakers that they can “stand with big oil companies, or they can stand
with the American people.”

Senate Democrats followed by forcing a vote to end tax cuts for the five largest oil companies, which Republicans resoundingly defeated.

We all know that this is all campaign BS, but seriously... ending tax breaks for the oil companies would generate some pretty significant revenue.

You're right. Lobbying and corruption go hand in hand. We need to change how campaign contributions are made. I think there should be a common fund
that anyone can contribute to that would be divided among all candidates regardless of party. No direct contributions should be allowed.

As for personal gifts, government employees shouldn't be allowed to accept personal gifts valued at over $1000.

I'm sure there are other things that can be done. These are just my ideas.

Give Obama what he wants. Gas prices go over $5.00 a gallon, and he is a 1-term President.

Obama knows people (his supporters), in general are suckers. Act tough with the big villainous oil companies knowing (and hoping) that no way this
gets done. Reminds me of his budget that got voted down 414-0 earlier today. Why would you put out a budget knowing that it has no chance of
passing?

You people really thing that the approximate 2 billion dollars of profit not taken from oil companies are going to reduce the debt? Chances are it
would be packaged up and sent to another alternative energy gimmick company and then a few months later they go bankrupt (think Soyndra).

Originally posted by Carseller4
Give Obama what he wants. Gas prices go over $5.00 a gallon, and he is a 1-term President.

Obama knows people (his supporters), in general are suckers. Act tough with the big villainous oil companies knowing (and hoping) that no way this
gets done. Reminds me of his budget that got voted down 414-0 earlier today. Why would you put out a budget knowing that it has no chance of
passing?

You people really thing that the approximate 2 billion dollars of profit not taken from oil companies are going to reduce the debt? Chances are it
would be packaged up and sent to another alternative energy gimmick company and then a few months later they go bankrupt (think Soyndra).

The point is subsidies for companies that are making record profits is probably a good place
to start broaching the concept of fiscal responsibility.

Originally posted by Carseller4
Give Obama what he wants. Gas prices go over $5.00 a gallon, and he is a 1-term President.

Obama knows people (his supporters), in general are suckers. Act tough with the big villainous oil companies knowing (and hoping) that no way this
gets done. Reminds me of his budget that got voted down 414-0 earlier today. Why would you put out a budget knowing that it has no chance of
passing?

You people really thing that the approximate 2 billion dollars of profit not taken from oil companies are going to reduce the debt? Chances are it
would be packaged up and sent to another alternative energy gimmick company and then a few months later they go bankrupt (think Soyndra).

The point is subsidies for companies that are making record profits is probably a good place
to start broaching the concept of fiscal responsibility.

You realize for every gallon of gas sold the government makes more profit than the oil companies do?

You also realize that government mandates they have a summer blend of gasoline that must be used, and that is not cheap to produce?

You realize that many companies get tax breaks (GE).?

You realize that when the government gives someone a tax break they aren't giving them any extra money, all they are doing is letting them keep what
they have already earned?

I don't think many people realize any of this, that is how we get idiots like Obama in the White House.

Time to start scaling taxes to profits......cut the guts out of little peoples taxes...under 60,000 pay nothing....
Tax the oils tax the rich, tax the churches, tax the corporations big time.....tax the banks the most!
If they squeel tax them some more.....

You know, I'm all for ending the help and welfare of Big Oil..but can the Goober in Chief pick *ANOTHER* time for this? The Oil companies already
have enough reasons to point to higher prices as justified. Some of those are already from this President. Do we NEED to add another excuse for
Exxon/Mobile or BP to raise another $0.25 or more in per gallon profits?

That is all this would do..I hope no one is delusional about thinking this will actually change anything for the better. The money involved is peanuts
and laughable to the numbers we're dealing with for national debt and spending. Congress spends more on their extra benefits on Capital Hill than the
Oil Companies get.

if we cut them off..NOW of ALL times..it won't stop them from claiming the value of the benefits were SO MUCH MORE though, and so, they're really
sorry to have to break it to us all....but another buck or two in pump price is coming quick. At least...that is what we could have expected if cuts
went through at this MOST unfortunate moment in history.

People ask if the President can lower prices..and I say, it's not that easy.

However..can the President cause prices to GO UP? Now that IS easy...and he almost did it right here, again.

Originally posted by Carseller4
Give Obama what he wants. Gas prices go over $5.00 a gallon, and he is a 1-term President.

Obama knows people (his supporters), in general are suckers. Act tough with the big villainous oil companies knowing (and hoping) that no way this
gets done. Reminds me of his budget that got voted down 414-0 earlier today. Why would you put out a budget knowing that it has no chance of
passing?

You people really thing that the approximate 2 billion dollars of profit not taken from oil companies are going to reduce the debt? Chances are it
would be packaged up and sent to another alternative energy gimmick company and then a few months later they go bankrupt (think Soyndra).

The oil companies are getting what they want now and gas is four bucks a gallon. People will never understand what the president does is meaningless
oil companies will charge what they want because they can.

I would much rather the two billion go into looking for alternative power sources than go to line the pockets of people willing to go to war over oil.

You people really thing that the approximate 2 billion dollars of profit not taken from oil companies are going to reduce the debt? Chances are it
would be packaged up and sent to another alternative energy gimmick company and then a few months later they go bankrupt (think Soyndra).

$24 billion...

Not $2 billion.

$24 billion could go a hell of a long way toward alternate energies, the education system, roads, healthcare...

You know, other stuff that matters other than giving the richest industry in the world more money.

Hell, use it to pay off the bad mortgages in the country.

ANYTHING would be more productive than giving the money right back to the companies that are making the most money in history.

Offer $10 million dollar prizes for significant breakthrough in the free energy market. Watch what people can come up with.

Originally posted by Carseller4
Give Obama what he wants. Gas prices go over $5.00 a gallon, and he is a 1-term President.

Obama knows people (his supporters), in general are suckers. Act tough with the big villainous oil companies knowing (and hoping) that no way this
gets done. Reminds me of his budget that got voted down 414-0 earlier today. Why would you put out a budget knowing that it has no chance of
passing?

You people really thing that the approximate 2 billion dollars of profit not taken from oil companies are going to reduce the debt? Chances are it
would be packaged up and sent to another alternative energy gimmick company and then a few months later they go bankrupt (think Soyndra).

The idea isn't to reduce the debt. The idea is that the middle class would not have to make up for 24 billion being lost.

This is the part of the argument that the GOP refuses to accept. This economy suffers because the middle class pays the brunt of the taxes and has no
expendable income. How are we to shop or send our children to college when big oil get breaks and we make up for it with higher taxes and longer
hours? This is what the president means by "fair share". If the custodian pays 30% of his income to Uncle Sam then I'm pretty sure Oil companies
can afford the same. No, they wouldn't be forced to lay everyone off. That's greed, not necessity.

The Government gets 50 cents for every gallon sold in this country there are about 20 million barrels of oil used in the us every single day 365 days
a year which the government gets right off the top.

Which adds up to over 3 billion a year which amounts to those so called tax credits.

The biggest bunch of BS is giving big oil money they arent giving them crap at least they are making money unlike green corporations which have failed
and they still throw billions actually they are throwing more that green subsidies than for oil.

And when the GOP only control 1/3 of the Government people do need to know what they are talking about because when they say idiotic statements like
"gop blocks".

They are lying and they know they are lying.

Edit to add all the idiotic talk and hating big oil is the reason in less than a decade the largest BIG OIL CORPORATION IS PETRO CHINA.

and there aint a damn thing you can do about that except create more of them is what you people are doing when you support the stupid idiotic rantings
of Obama who doesn't know a damn thing about finance and making money.

This is what pisses me off about the GOP. They will fight tooth and nail to keep these subsidies....but at the same time they will try to privatize
medicare or social security...or slash other programs that help the middle class and poor.

AND PEOPLE DEFEND THIS CRAP. People on ATS defend this nonsense. How in hell can someone side with gigantic oil companies raking in billions of
dollars.

Every week one day of my salary goes straight to gasoline. That's BS. And if people think the answer to fixing this is to not only continue to give
them taxpayer money...but also to cut their frickin taxes while the rest of us get F'd...you need to visit a mental ward.

People are so stupid in this country they don't know how to even defend their own best interests..and they screw their neighbors and members of their
own family because tv or their political party tells them too.

Repubs know that the Government and Oil walk hand in hand.. don't bite the hand that feeds you: The oil industry is one of the largest sources of
revenue for Federal and State governments. If you make the business environment hostile there are things the oil companies could do to really ### us
over. I always figured Democrats trying to play hardball with oil companies was either an inside joke that we haven't figured out yet.... or they
have no idea what they're doing.

Originally posted by Wrabbit2000
You know, I'm all for ending the help and welfare of Big Oil..but can the Goober in Chief pick *ANOTHER* time for this? The Oil companies already
have enough reasons to point to higher prices as justified. Some of those are already from this President. Do we NEED to add another excuse for
Exxon/Mobile or BP to raise another $0.25 or more in per gallon profits?

That is all this would do..I hope no one is delusional about thinking this will actually change anything for the better. The money involved is peanuts
and laughable to the numbers we're dealing with for national debt and spending. Congress spends more on their extra benefits on Capital Hill than the
Oil Companies get.

if we cut them off..NOW of ALL times..it won't stop them from claiming the value of the benefits were SO MUCH MORE though, and so, they're really
sorry to have to break it to us all....but another buck or two in pump price is coming quick. At least...that is what we could have expected if cuts
went through at this MOST unfortunate moment in history.

People ask if the President can lower prices..and I say, it's not that easy.

However..can the President cause prices to GO UP? Now that IS easy...and he almost did it right here, again.

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